Re:What Is the World to Do About Gene-Editing?
by Ultimatt on Sunday March 24, 2019 @04:26AM
(#19475147)
Not sure I agree with the first premise. If the technology was relatively safe and robust you could just routinely "edit" all births with a package of corrections for all known rare genetic diseases. There are several hundred well understood variants that are disease causing and correctable with editing a fertilised egg, with essentially zero available treatments later on.
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Re:What Is the World to Do About Gene-Editing?
by bencollier49 on Sunday March 24, 2019 @04:49AM
(#19475222)
Would you correct carriers as well (heterozygous with no symptoms). What about where the gene was advantageous in a heterozygous configuration? Would you eliminate all sickle-cell genes?
Re:What Is the World to Do About Gene-Editing?
by iguy on Sunday March 24, 2019 @05:19AM
(#19475323)
IIRC this has already happened with Tay-Sachs, although not by editing, just by testing (either before marriage, or of embryos). I think the disease is now more common among non-Ashkenazim, who are unlikely to be tested.
Seems like a useful test case to think about, and read about, rather than relying only on imagination.
Re:What Is the World to Do About Gene-Editing?
by chr1 on Sunday March 24, 2019 @05:11AM
(#19475299)
That's not something that you can decide for other people. If some people like their sickle-cell gene no one can force them to remove it, and similarly if they don't like it no one should be able to force them to keep it.